Daewoo Shipbuilding Collaborates with DS Lab Company on Cybersecurity Technology Development

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) is taking the lead in developing ship cybersecurity technologies to be applied to autonomous vessels and smart ships.

On the 16th, DSME announced that it has agreed to collaborate with DS Lab Company, a specialized small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) in ship cybersecurity, to develop a "Marine Cyber Threat Intelligence System." Along with this, DSME plans to hold workshops and cooperate with related organizations such as Korea University, Secui, and Piolink to jointly develop ship cybersecurity technologies by 2022.

Founded in 2016, DS Lab Company is an SME specializing in cybersecurity technologies for ships and naval vessels, including security technology consulting and security software development.

This research project is part of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' marine industry demand-driven technology R&D. Based on DS Lab Company's "Cyber Geobukseon" platform, the project aims to develop security technologies ranging from ship security design software to technologies supporting safe navigation. DSME will conduct testing to enable the developed security technologies to be installed on ships and naval vessels and will provide advisory roles.

In particular, with the recent development of autonomous vessels, smart ships, and smart naval vessels that apply information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT), the advancement of communication systems connecting ships and land has rapidly increased the need for ship cybersecurity. If autonomous vessels or smart ships are hacked, it could result in massive human casualties and property damage.

Following the implementation of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s cybersecurity risk management regulations starting this year, the global shipbuilding and marine industry must secure technologies and systems to defend ships and related systems against ransomware and other malicious codes and cyberattacks. Especially, with ship system attacks increasing by 900% over the past three years, countries worldwide are focusing on developing ship cybersecurity technologies.

Meanwhile, DSME has been practicing technological cooperation and mutual growth with SMEs by launching a cybersecurity research group last year together with Korea University and SMEs.